Sweetest Addiction Redux
by Hana M
Summary: "Hey, trust me. I can help." She so desperately wants to believe him, so desperately wants to smile and nod. But she slips her hand out of his and looks away. Because she lost the ability to believe a long time ago. AU InuKag
1. New Life, Same Life

**Sweetest Addiction Redux**

InuKag AU/ "Hey, trust me. I can help." She so desperately wants to believe him, so desperately wants to smile and nod. But she slips her hand out of his and looks away. Because she lost the ability to believe a long time ago.

**BY: HANA M.**

* * *

●○○-**¤° Chapter 01 - New Life, Same Life °¤**-○○●

Kagome washed the morning dishes and sighed. The time on the daisy covered clock read seven fifty-two. It was that late? Damn, she would have to hurry. She worked faster to finish. She pulled her hands from the hot rinse water and ran wet fingers through her wavy, black hair.

"Kagome!" a voice called.

She froze. Oh no, please not this morning. Please, anyone out there, don't let her start this morning, she pleaded to any god.

"Kagome!"

She turned to the open doorway. She sounded pretty close. Clear, blue eyes widened. Oh no, she panicked. She threw her hands into the water, hoping she wouldn't be caught.

Too late.

Her aunt gripped her arm and pulled her close. "Why were your hands out of the water, Kagome?" Her lip curled. "You're supposed to be doing your chores – not playing around!"

Kagome lowered her head. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

The corner of her mouth tipped. "You had better be sorry, you useless girl," she said. She released her arm. "Now, hurry up with your chores before you're late for school. I will not accept any tardiness in this household, is that understood?" When Kagome agreed, she nodded her head and stepped from the kitchen.

Kagome counted her footsteps, making sure her aunt was gone. When she no longer heard them, her body sagged. "Fuck," she whispered into the now empty kitchen. "This is not going to be a good day." She finished the dishes and left to get ready for school.

Later, she, her brother and their aunt gathered into the car. They dropped her brother off first. When they arrived at her school, her aunt turned to her with a mocking hundred watt smile.

"Listen here, Kagome," she started, sweetly, "you better not tell anyone about your 'discipline' this time. We don't want to have another. . . accident, do we?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, ma'am, I don't."

Her aunt nodded. "Good." She kissed her cheek and opened the passenger door. "Now get out and have a good day at school."

She didn't have to tell her twice.

* * *

Kagome walked through the hallway. She kept her gaze on the floor, refusing to move anywhere else.

Her backpack's strap hung loosely on her shoulder. Her arms gripped her books tight to her chest. Her body hunched as she walked, trying to act casual. In her peripheral, she saw the other students huddle around the neutral colored lockers. They laughed and talked with their friends as they carried along their everyday morning. They were probably talking about some stupid rumor or some other meaningless gossip, but it sure looked like fun.

She sighed, shaking her head. She adjusted her belongings and fixed her backpack's strap. Summer break had ended, so today was everyone's first day back. The sole difference between them and her – she was the new kid.

Yippee, she thought, rolling her eyes.

Unexpectedly, someone pushed her aside.

Kagome stumbled. An involuntary gasp escaped when she bumped into another person. As she fell backwards, she dropped her books to the floor. Some flipped open, papers scattering about in reckless abandon. Pain shot through her tailbone. "Oof!"

"Hey, watch where you're going, you stupid girl," a patronizing voice snapped.

Her eyebrows wrinkled. "Excuse me?" she said as she lifted her head. Her scathing remark vanished when she realized the person had already walked away. All she saw was long, black hair pulled into a single braid.

Well, that was weird.

With a shrug, she forgot the person and grabbed her things one by one. She hoped beyond hope no one noticed her embarrassing moment – she heard the low snickers and giggles from the students around her – never mind. Kagome's face burned. Or at least it would have but she never blushed easily. She muttered an "oh, god," under her breath.

"Can I help you, miss?"

She raised her head to meet amused, dark blue eyes. The boy was fair-skinned and had short, black hair tied back into a small ponytail on the back of his neck. Small, gold earrings hung from his ears. He wore the school's mandatory uniform in a crisp and immaculate manner, unlike the other boys.

Kagome smiled, abashed. "Um, yeah, I sure could use the help. Thank you."

The boy nodded, knelt and grabbed her books.

She shoved the rest he didn't grab into her bag. Great, Kagome, she berated herself, what a way to embarrass yourself.

With everything gathered, the two rose to their feet.

She winced. The fall had hurt more than she thought.

"Hey, are you okay, miss?"

Kagome met his gaze again and touched the back of her neck, smiling. "Oh, yeah, I'm alright. It's nothing. It's just a little stinging in my tailbone."

He shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about," he touched her cheek, "this. Did you get hit by something?"

She laid a hand against her cheek and panicked. Oh no, did her aunt leave a bruise from this morning? Damn, she had been in such a rush she hadn't had enough time to go and check herself. She put her bag on the floor and unzipped it, looking for a reflective surface. She found her metallic pencil case, peered into it and looked at her cheek's crude reflection. A reddish bruise stared back.

Fuck.

Looking away, Kagome smiled tight and waved it off. "Oh, this is nothing. I was playing ball with my younger brother yesterday and I got hit by the ball. It'll clear in a few days."

He stared at her but nodded with a smile. "Okay. What are you doing carrying around all of these books with you, miss? Haven't you found your locker?"

She nodded.

"Then why are you lugging them around? There are small breaks between classes. You don't need all this with you at once."

Realization dawned onto her and she smiled. "Oh! I-I didn't know. You see, at my old school, we didn't have many breaks between classes, so we had to carry everything we would need for that day with us. Thank you for letting me know."

He smiled once more. "My name is Miroku. What's yours?"

"I'm Kagome; it's nice to meet you, Miroku."

"You too, Miss Kagome. Now, do you want me to help you back to your locker?"

Kagome smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges. "Thanks, Miroku. That would be great."

He nodded and held his arm to her. "My lady, shall we go?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. When she laughed and hooked her arm with his, he smiled again. "Lead the way, Miss Kagome."

* * *

Kagome hurried to her next class. She scratched her head and grimaced when she came across a delicate part, courtesy of – she shook her head to dispel the memory.

She reached the gymnasium and walked to the girls' changing room. She changed uniforms quickly, looking around, wary. Fortunately, there were no other girls present in the room. She twisted the combination lock on her assigned locker and opened it, throwing her uniform inside.

"Hello, freak."

Kagome jumped. There was someone in there with her? She hoped they hadn't seen anything – it would cause trouble she did not need. She turned to meet three girls. "Hello. Can I help you with something?" she inquired.

One girl stepped forward, a small smirk on her lips.

She had green eyes and a large forehead, a thin band going across. She wore her fiery red hair in two pigtails. The girl wasn't ugly, but she wasn't beautiful either. She wore four holes in her ears. There was a scar on her light skin near her temple; it didn't look like it was going away anytime soon.

"You may. See, I need to talk a couple of things over with you," the redhead said. She smirked, "freak."

The other two girls giggled.

Kagome turned from the group, fiddling with her combination lock once more. "Really?" she said in an amazed voice. "What is it that you need to talk about?" A hand gripped her shoulder and forced her around. She stared into the fierce green eyes.

The girl sneered. "You will look at me when I'm speaking to you, you freak. Now, you're in my area and I want you out of it."

Kagome's forehead wrinkled. "But this is my locker."

The redhead's eyes narrowed. Her grip on Kagome's shoulder tightened; her nails dug into the skin. Not a second later, she released the pressure and laughed. Her hand lashed suddenly at her in a slap.

Kagome's cheek exploded with a flash of pain. "Ouch! What the hell was that for?"

In one violent motion, she shoved Kagome into the lockers. The metal groaned in protest and the locks jingled loud in the silent room. The girl had a disgustingly sweet smile on her face. "I don't think you have heard me clearly, Kagome."

_You make it six steps before a hand grabs the back of your shirt and you're yanked. You're practically choking when you're slammed into the wall. You cough and hold your neck where the shirt collar bit into your skin._

Fear clutched her heart. Oh, god, no. Kagome tried to push the girl away, though she knew it would be futile. "Get away from me!"

The redhead's features twisted and she slapped her again. "Stop struggling, you bitch."

Kagome, with reluctance, stopped. She should've known better than to fight this.

The girl beamed. "Good. Now, I will say this again. I do not want you anywhere near here."

What was the point of fighting against this? She would never win. Kagome bowed her head. "Yes."

The girl leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Good." A hard knee came, digging into her stomach.

Kagome groaned and curled in on herself, coughing as she tried to catch her breath. The aching intensified and her stomach burned. The next second, her butt met the floor. She drew herself into a ball and listened helplessly to the group's harsh laughter at her pain.

* * *

With a plastic fork and her mashed potatoes, Kagome sculpted a figure with a surprising likeness to the redhead girl. Then she crushed the figure with the tines of the bendable fork. It wasn't as though it would be eaten – she hated mashed potatoes. A sharp pain throbbed in her stomach. She groaned. Gritting her teeth, she curled an arm around her middle.

Something slamming onto the table spot beside her startled her. She looked to see the boy from the hallway. What was his name again? She wondered. After a moment, she remembered it to be Miroku.

Miroku took his seat, laughing. "I didn't mean to scare you, Miss Kagome," he said.

She smiled weakly. "It's okay, Miroku." She turned to her food and scrutinized it. Her stomach clenched again. She decided right then she was not going to eat any kind of lunch that day.

"You okay? You haven't touched your food."

Kagome met his concerned gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not hungry." She grinned past her frown and pushed her tray to the side.

"You wouldn't mind if I took it, then?" He grabbed the tray and waited her answer.

She shook her head.

Miroku grinned happily and pulled the tray towards his side. He started on the lunch, shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth. He sighed. "This is so delicious!"

She rolled her eyes in good nature at his eagerness.

"Mou, what a line!" someone complained a few minutes later. "And all for just a stupid slice of turkey and mashed potatoes."

Kagome and Miroku raised their heads. They watched a girl make her way to the table, a gentle sway to her walk. Curly, dark brown hair bounced with each step. The girl was of average height and had a slender build. Her uniform skirt was a little shorter than required and knee socks not school standard.

"Hello, Miroku, how you've been?" the girl asked once she met the table.

Miroku, with his mouth full, lifted his chin in acknowledgment. He chewed, swallowed and then replied, "I've been fine, my darling Sango, and to what you said earlier, the food sure tastes great."

The girl named Sango smiled and took her seat beside him. After pressing a sticky kiss to his cheek, she turned to Kagome. She raised an eyebrow. "Hello?" she said a bit slow. "Who are you?"

"That's the new kid, Kagome."

Her forehead wrinkled. "We were supposed to get a new kid?"

"I guess so."

With a frown, Sango took her fork and twirled it through her lunch. "How do you know about her?"

"I met her in the hallway earlier. She had fell and dropped her things. I was helping her pick them up."

Sango hummed. Her sharp, unfriendly eyes regarded Kagome. After an eternity, her eyes warmed and she nodded her head, a ghost of a smile on her face. "I guess you're okay. I'm Sango, Miroku's girlfriend."

Kagome nodded and looked her over. The girl looked Asian. Her facial features were okay. She wasn't any beauty queen but she was pretty in her own way. "I'm Kagome."

With a nod, Sango threw herself into a conversation with Miroku. The couple chatted and laughed about an assortment of things, sneaking in little kisses here and there.

Kagome wrinkled her nose. Turning her head away, she laid her arms on top of the table and cradled her head.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Sango asked.

She raised her head from the table. "What do you mean?"

Sango's eyebrows creased. "Are you feeling sick? Um, if you are, I can walk you to the nurse's office."

She blinked and shook her head. "No, I'm alright, Sango. I just have a slight headache."

Sango pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She tilted her head sideways. "Well, if you're sure. . ." she faltered.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Giving her a final look, Sango turned back to her conversation. As the minutes dwindled, Sango and Miroku stood to their feet. She surprised Kagome with a farewell hug and a genuine smile. They soon departed for their next class.

Kagome bid them farewell. Soon the lunch bell rang and she left for her respective class.

* * *

Kagome hiked the stairs to her house after going to the grocery store. It was her job to keep the house supplied with all the essentials. She fished for her keys when she arrived at the door. Upon entry, she took note of the lack of shoes by the door.

Her aunt and brother weren't home yet.

Good.

She removed her shoes and put away the groceries. Afterwards, she headed to her bedroom. She toed the door closed and threw her bag to the side. The bag landed into her dirty laundry.

She contemplated showering but she was too tired. Instead, she changed from her uniform into a loose fitting t-shirt. Exhausted, she fell on her bed and went straight to sleep.

* * *

Blue eyes slid open in the dim room, lit only by streetlights outside. Throwing the covers off, Kagome crawled toward her alarm clock as she tried to wake her still napping mind. As she peered at the neon digital numbers, she sat up suddenly. Realizing it was past seven o'clock and none of her chores were done or dinner made, she jumped off the bed. In the process of rushing, she tripped on a bundle of blankets and met the floor face-first. She took a moment to moan and curse and stood to continue a more careful, albeit panicked rush.

"Sh. . .it!" She bolted from her bedroom and into the kitchen. Once there, she flipped the light switch and hurried to the cabinets, clattering through them with her hands. Pulling away different pots and pans, she started making dinner.

"'Gome, 'Gome!"

She turned to the sing-song voice. Her brother, Souta, stood at the threshold. His usually tidied short, black hair was sleep-mussed and his dark, acorn-sized eyes shined. He wore his blue pajamas. He pouted. "'Gome, I'm hungry."

She laughed. "Dinner will be ready soon, Souta."

He grinned and skipped to the table, taking a seat.

She turned and finished completing dinner. She poured the pot of ramen noodles into two bowls and added the necessary seasonings, including little bits of meat and vegetables. Finished, she grabbed the bowls and slid Souta's to him and hers to her side.

He thanked her, quickly said a prayer – he was the only member who believed in god – and began his dinner.

"Souta, did you shower before putting on your pajamas?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, 'Gome—" he yawned and rubbed at his eyes, "but I fell asleep."

She giggled. "Don't feel so bad about it, baby brother. I did too."

"Oh, okay."

She walked to the sink and dropped her hands into the water. She washed the dishes, but paused at scrubbing a particular spot on a plate when she heard her name called. She turned to her brother, her eyebrows raised.

"Can you help me with my homework? There are a couple of math problems that I don't get."

She smiled. "Sure, baby brother, I'll help you, but right after I'm done with the chores, okay?"

Souta grinned and continued eating his dinner with a happy hum.

Kagome went back to work.

* * *

She awoke in a cold sweat. She breathed loud, ragged breaths. Her heart pounded against her chest. Pressure swelled at her throat and she bit hard on her bottom lip. Her hands fist clumps of fabric, knuckles turning ash white. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and buried her face.

_The resounding sound of a slap followed by a voice screaming, "You monster!"_

The pressure released and she cried.

"'Gome. . ."

Kagome saw her brother's figure standing under the threshold. She wiped her face with her hand and switched on her desk lamp. "Souta?"

He sniffed and ran to her, throwing his arms around her and crying into her chest.

"Souta, what's wrong?" she asked, worried.

He sniffed again, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, 'Gome. I didn't mean to. I don't want Aunt Yuka to find out."

"Shh. . . Spence, don't cry. Aunt Yuka isn't going to know," she assured him. She cupped a wet cheek and wiped his tears away with her thumb. Giving him a soft smile, she kissed his forehead.

He hiccupped but returned the smile.

Pulling him onto the bed, she tucked him in. "Rest, okay? I'll be right back." After he agreed, she tiptoed from the room and into her brother's room. She worked quickly to remove the soiled sheets and changed them. She threw the dirty ones in the harbor for cleaning.

Their aunt did not need to know about Souta wetting the bed again.

The last time she did. . .

Kagome stopped the painful memories and fixed the bed. Done, she headed to her bedroom. She walked to her bed, pulled the sheets back and snuggled into her brother's side.

Souta turned to face her and burrowed sleepily into her. "I love you, 'Gome," he mumbled.

Circling her arms around his waist, Kagome buried her face into his hair. "I love you, too, baby brother," she whispered. The tears she held at bay fell.

_I'm sorry_.

* * *

_. . .tbc. . ._

* * *

**AUTHOR NOTE:**  
This is my massive rewrite of my completed story, "Sweetest Addiction" and "Seeing Through Tears" that I posted earlier on FanFiction. Now I know you're probably wondering why I'm doing this instead of posting the sequel for STT or finishing SA. The truth is, I'm a strong believer in rewrites and revisions. In this case, I feel that the original versions needs a lot of work.

I won't bore you with the details, but essentially, I feel like I made some poor authorial choices and decisions for "Seeing Through Tears" and "Sweetest Addiction." Mind you, I enjoyed writing the original versions, but there were some flaws that bothered me. So that's why I'm here with a new version with significant changes.

I promise I will not remove the original versions. I'm aware that you guys might prefer that one better, and in any case, it might be fun to compare the old and new versions since they'll be quite different. I do hope that some of you guys will come to appreciate this new version. As always, I am deeply appreciative of you guys. You have made my time here memorable and I hope you will join me for this new-ish ride.

* * *

Sweetest Addiction Redux. All Rights Reserved (c) Hana M. 2008-2013

x **December 21, 2013 **x


	2. Troublesome

**Sweetest Addiction Redux**

InuKag AU/ "Hey, trust me. I can help." She so desperately wants to believe him, so desperately wants to smile and nod. But she slips her hand out of his and looks away. Because she lost the ability to believe a long time ago.

**BY: HANA M.**

* * *

●○○-**¤° Chapter 02 - Troublesome °¤**-○○●

Kagome and her brother sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast. She noticed their aunt had come in and moved to the coffee machine. She was a coffee fanatic. Kagome found her worse to handle when she hadn't had her daily cup.

Their aunt poured the coffee into an old mug and leaned against the counter. The familiar reddish-brown frigid gaze on her face measured her. "What is for breakfast, Kagome?"

The schoolgirl looked her aunt over. Yuka Higurashi was a beautiful dark haired woman, her hair pulled tight into a bun. The artificial lighting shone over her pale skin. She dressed to perfection in a black pencil skirt with a ruffled white top and black suit jacket. She wore her black stiletto pumps.

A person would never believe this professional woman would abuse her own niece and nephew, Kagome thought bitterly. "I made pancakes with eggs and bacon, ma'am. Would you like some?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you, dear." She took another sip from her mug. "I have an early meeting today. I want you and your brother in bed by nine tonight." She finished the last of her drink and placed the cup into the sink.

Kagome kept her eyes on her plate as she ate. "Yes, ma'am," she replied, voice soft.

* * *

Kagome stood in line and waited her turn when three familiar presences stood behind her. Her body tensed. No, she told herself, they wouldn't try anything in front of all these people. She stood, silent, staring ahead but the heated glares against her neck made it difficult to ignore them. She turned around.

"Is there something that you guys want to ask since you love to stare at the back of my neck so much?" she asked with a sweet smile.

Three pairs of eyes eyed the length of her profile. "No."

She grinned, smiling so hard it made her cheeks hurt. "Then stop looking so damn hard." She turned and grabbed her bowl of tomato soup from the lunch lady. Stepping from the line, she moved to pass the group. Without warning, she tripped and fell; face first, into her lunch.

The chatter and laughter in the lunchroom stopped.

She pulled her face from the bowl. She tried to blink through the residue but her eyes stung. Suddenly, she heard laughter. Looking up, she saw the three girls laughing and pointing their fingers at her. She looked around for anyone to help her, but no one stepped forward.

She was alone – like always.

Tears in her eyes, Kagome struggled to her feet and rushed passed the group, their laughter still ringing in her head.

* * *

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Kagome made her way down the hall. For the past couple of weeks, the girls teased and humiliated her. She sighed.

Turning a corner, she noticed a door opened few feet away. She looked around. Why was the door open? Maybe it was a classroom and a teacher forgot to close it. Her old teacher used to do that all the time. She should go close it, in case they left something expensive, like a phone, inside.

With her mind made, Kagome jogged to it. As she came closer, she realized it wasn't a classroom door. It was, instead, a door that hid stairs. Why were there stairs here? She decided in her mind the school had been built weird, but to check it out anyway – she had nothing better to do.

Pulling the door open further, Kagome climbed the stairs. When she reached the top, she turned the doorknob. To her surprise, the door wasn't locked. She stepped outside into the crisp autumn afternoon, the bright sunlight engulfing her frame. She shielded her eyes and muttered, "Stupid light." She examined her surroundings and concluded she was on the school roof.

Nice.

Kagome took tentative steps around. A linked fence ran around the edges. The school must've suspected their students of using the roof at one point or another.

She stepped to the linked fence and looked over the schoolyard. She leaned her forehead against the cool metal and sighed, her breath visible on the air. The silence of the roof was palpable. At least here, she thought, she would have peace and quiet, to think without interruption.

She closed her eyes. She missed the soft voice that always welcomed her home from school. She wished for the gruff echo of laughter at her silly antics.

She struck the metal fence with fisted hands. "Shit! You're so weak!" she whispered.

She was sick of the abuse and mistreatment – from everyone! Why couldn't she stand up for herself? She snorted. Yeah, right! She knew she would never do such a thing.

She couldn't do it against her own aunt.

Kagome squeezed her eyes tighter. She more often than not kept her emotions at bay, but. . . A flash of memory intruded her mind. Glass shattered and she heard the soft voice murmur, "That's good." A fist closed around her heart. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm so sorry for—"

"Hey. This area's taken, you know."

The deep and masculine voice opened Kagome's eyes. The guy had a trim, athletic physique that his clothes didn't hide well. His hair was black and pulled into a low braid. When he glanced in her direction, she caught a glimpse of a straight nose and high cheekbones. He wore a number of piercings. He had several earrings in each ear, including one in his left and right cartilage. A silver ring sat on the left side of his eyebrow and lower lip.

He plucked his used cigarette butt to the side.

"Who asked you anyway? Just. . ." she trailed off and shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to argue. "Never mind, I'll just leave." She brushed her hand against her eyes. Getting to her feet, Kagome walked off but stopped when something tugged on her wrist. She came face to face with the boy. Her eyebrows shot up. The amber color of his eyes gazing softly at her were mesmerizing.

"I didn't say you had to leave." He stepped closer. "Why are you crying?"

Kagome pulled away and turned, her face bowed to the ground. "It's nothing," she said. She wiped at her eyes.

The boy raised a pierced eyebrow. "Nothing, you say?" He stepped closer and turned her face to him. A wrinkle came between his eyebrows. "If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying," he observed.

Damn, he had her there. But she wasn't going to give in and tell him the while truth. She didn't need someone else making fun of her. She had enough of that today. Kagome pursed her lips, but she didn't answer him. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? It wasn't too much to ask, really.

Several silent minutes passed. The boy's lip curled and he dropped his hand from her cheek. "Fine! I was going to hear you out, but forget it."

And this was what Kagome was waiting for.

The boy grabbed his bag (where had it come from anyway? It wasn't there a moment ago, she thought) and walked away.

She knew he wanted to. But to her surprise, he didn't. he stood there, his back to her. He sighed and turned around. "The curiosity is killing me," he admitted. "Tell me – did your boyfriend break up with you or something?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Did you fail a test, then?"

She shook her head again.

"Well, if it's not any of that, then what's your problem?"

She twiddled her fingers, her thumbs colliding into each other. "If. . . if you really want to know, these girls laughed at me." Well, it was half the truth, thought it wasn't the reason why.

The boy dropped his bag and sat on it. "Why?"

Kagome sighed. She tugged at her hair nervously. "It was this girl," she stopped and tried again. "She made me trip and I feel into my lunch in front of everyone. I just feel so stupid for running away like a baby."

He sucked his teeth. "Let me guess: Ayame, right?"

"I. . . I guess so?"

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about her. That bitch got me in trouble with the principal the first day I came to this shitty school." He laughed. "Hell, all she done is kissed the asses of every faculty member."

"Oh."

"So, what's your name, baby?"

Her lip curled. "Baby?" she mocked. "I am not your 'baby'."

"Ooh, now you wanna be on the defensive side, huh, baby?" he said with a slight smile.

His arrogance astonished her, she thought. Kagome narrowed her blue eyes at him.

He stood, grabbed his bag and smirked. "What's your name?" he asked again.

She contemplated on whether she should tell him her name. "Kagome," she said slowly. "And yours?"

He tilted his head, that slight smile on his lips. "That's a cute name, baby. I'm InuYasha."

And there was the nickname 'baby' again. She raised her head slightly. "Well, it's nice meeting you, InuYasha," she said. "So, tell me, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside with the other kids?" For some reason, he didn't chalk up as a loner to her. He gave the impression as a player with his arrogance.

InuYasha shrugged a shoulder. "I hate the cafeteria, and I like to smoke, so I hang here."

Kagome nodded. She pushed back her blazer's sleeve and read the time on her watch. Twelve forty-five; lunch should be over now. She had better start heading back. "I better get going before I'm late for my next class." She slid blue eyes towards him. "It was. . ." she wavered, "really nice meeting you, InuYasha."

"The same to you, baby," he returned.

Kagome rolled her eyes, waved goodbye and was gone.

* * *

Sango pouted. "Kagome, where have you been?" She crossed her arms under her chest. "I was looking all over for you, sweetie."

Kagome retrieved her books from her locker and shoved them into her book-bag. Zipping it closed, she grabbed another book from her locker. "I was just getting some fresh air, Sango. It's no big deal."

Sango huffed. "Well, you still could've told me where you were going, Kagome. I was worried about you."

She paused and shut the door. She reset the lock, a smile on her face. So Sango was worried about little, old her? Her heart fluttered and she fought hard to keep from bringing her friend into a bone-crushing hug. There was actually someone worried about her – besides Souta, of course. "I'm sorry, Sango. I'll make sure to tell you next time, okay?"

Sango waved the promise off. "Yeah, yeah, sure; I'm not your keeper, Kagome; you don't have to promise me such things."

Kagome shrugged. "If it keeps from getting worried, then I'll promise such things." She adjusted the bag and walked down the hall, Sango following closely behind.

* * *

Kagome covered her ears with her hands. "Why did I agree to come to Miroku's football practice again?" she wondered aloud. With a glare directed at Sango, she kept herself from strangling the girl.

Sango stood beside her, cheering (more like screaming) her boyfriend on.

Kagome rubbed her temples with her fingers. She swore her friend sounded like a howler monkey. She would lose her hearing if this kept up. A week passed without any squabbles with Ayame or her aunt. She had been in a good mood so when Sango asked her to join her to Miroku's football practice, she held no objections. Now she regretted the decision.

Miroku turned to Sango's voice, smiled and blew her a kiss.

Sango blushed but laughed and shouted an "I love you!" When he turned away, she took her seat beside Kagome, a wide grin on her face. "Doesn't Miroku look great?" she asked.

She nodded.

Sango smiled an open mouthed smile and laughed.

A nice one, Kagome had to admit.

Once her laughter subsided, Sango dug through her tiny backpack, muttering something about bubble gum. Kagome had discovered in a short two days since she met her that Sango was quite the bubble gum enthusiast. She swore she wouldn't last one hour without chewing the stuff.

"Yes! I found it!" She informed Kagome with excitement. She waved the pink package of bubble gum in the air. She tore the package and took a piece. She popped it into her mouth and sighed.

"Enjoying yourself?" Kagome asked.

Sango looked at her, defensively. "It tastes just like grapes."

"Candy grapes, maybe."

She brushed her comment off with a wave of her hand. "It's all the same."

Kagome shrugged, leaned her face against her hand and let her eyes wander over the benches. She slid her eyes closed and fell into a half-daze. The conversations around her merged into buzzing white noise. Beside her, Sango poked her out of her semi-daze.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome looked to the field. A head of dark hair in a braid appeared in the corner of her eye. Her brows creased. Why did the head of hair look so familiar?

A condescending voice snapped at her for bumping into them. Her eyebrows wrinkled and she had raised her head with a scathing remark on the tip of her tongue, but never saw the face of the intruder – only that they had long, black hair pulled into a braid. . .

Kagome faltered. The guy she had bumped into nearly a month earlier was _InuYasha_? She couldn't believe it. Urgent, she grabbed Sango's arm and pulled her nearly into her kilt-clad lap. "Sango! Look! Look!" she whispered.

"Whoa! Calm down, will you? What is it, Kagome?"

Kagome pointed to where InuYasha sat. "It's that mysterious boy I was telling you about!"

Sango followed her finger. In an instant, her smile dropped. She groaned and placed her hand to her forehead. "Oh, goodness gracious, him," she said, disgust in her voice.

Kagome folded her arms. "What about him, Sango?"

Sango looked to her and sighed. "Kagome, that boy is someone that you do not want to," she paused, "associate with. He is a loser. All he does is wander around the school and skips all of his classes. He's a failure, that's all. He'll never amount to anything here."

"Oh." She looked to InuYasha with his head buried in his book. "He seems lonely."

"That's because he doesn't like other people's company."

Kagome frowned. No. he couldn't be the loser Sango said he was – just like she couldn't be the monster that her aunt accused her of being, right? She stood and walked down the benches. Sango called her name but she paid her no mind. At last beside the boy, she greeted him.

InuYasha didn't acknowledge it.

She cleared her throat, undeterred and tapped him on the shoulder.

He met her eyes, a pair of black rimmed reading glasses settled on the bridge of his nose.

"Do you remember me?"

He smirked and replied, "How could I forget?" He returned his attention to the book in his lap.

She ignored the sarcastic comment and cleared her throat again. "I noticed that you looked kind of lonely sitting over here by yourself and I was wondering if you would like to come sit with me and my friend, Sango."

InuYasha looked to her. His gaze traveled from her legs to her breasts then to her face. Then he gave her another look-over. It was such a deliberate inspection it was like an insult.

"Are you done?" she asked, meeting his gaze.

He smirked and continued reading his book once more. "I don't think so."

She put a hand on her hip. "Why is that, InuYasha? I mean, you look lonely sitting here and I just wanted to invite you over to sit with me and my friend," she reasoned.

He stopped reading. He marked his page with a single finger and closed the book. "I wouldn't dream of it," he answered smoothly.

Kagome set her other hand on her hip. "Excuse me? You do not have to be rude about it. All you had to say was no."

"I did, but you persisted on, baby—"

"I told you already, I am **not** your baby! My name is Kagome! Ka-Go-Me!" she snapped.

"—now, can you please leave me alone so I can get back to my reading? Thank you oh so much."

You know what, forget it, she told herself. She shrugged. "Okay, fine, whatever." She turned and headed to her seat, feeling down. She stilled. Wait a minute. She felt down? Did she feel like this because he didn't want to sit with her?

"Let me guess?" Sango's voice broke through the sudden cloud that blanketed her mind.

She blinked. "Huh?"

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Things didn't work out the way you wanted them to, now did they?"

Kagome shook head with a sigh and sat on the bench beside her. "No, they didn't, Sango, but it's alright, I guess."

Sango smiled. "That's good. I don't want you getting your feathers in a bunch over that loser." She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close.

Kagome hesitated at the sudden closeness but smiled softly and continued watching their friend's football practice.

* * *

_. . .tbc. . .  
_

* * *

Sweetest Addiction. All Rights Reserved (c) Hana M. 2008-2013

x **December 22, 2013** x


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